A blog by Rob Hampton, A full time musicians for over 10 years. Playing nearly 200 shows a year. Subjects include Music Marketing, Online Music Marketing, Etc.

Google+ Followers

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Your job is just starting when you walk off the stage!

People go out because they need a release, They need to
forget what happened that day or that week. They are looking for something to
take their mind off the rough times in their life. You are what they are
looking for. You need to never compromise the goal of achieving this every
single night. From the moment you enter the venue, you need to focus on your goals, on creating
an experience for everyone. Give the audience an Experience and they will come
back for again and again. The days of hiding in the dressing room are over. You
need to be engaging every person you
come in contact with.

Part of your job off stage is to acquire people and unite
them into a party experience. I guarantee you that if you engage the staff, and
the audience and start a relationship, these people will look forward to seeing
you again. Furthermore, by achieving this you will actually start to expand
your fanbase and in turn make more money. Every member of the band needs to
commit themselves to this strategy. No excuses. Not engaging people just makes
them think you don’t care or you are full of yourself and you don’t need them
as a fan. Guess what? They will leave and never think about your band again.
They don’t care if you’re sweaty or tired or you had a rough day. It’s your job
to engage your audience. Excuses lead to mediocrity.

Excellence comes with discipline, commitment, strategy and
effort. These principles never take the night off. If you think they don’t
apply to you or your band, you’ve already allowed failure as an option. If you do these basic principles of
engagement, you will not fail. Think about it, you are attempting to guide an
entire group of strangers that the only thing that matters in this moment is
having a good time. You want them to become part of your experience, part of
your tribe.

A tribe is a group of people connected
to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions
of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs
only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.” ―Seth
Godin,Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Word of mouth travels fast and is the strongest form of
advertising. People will become familiar with your Experience/Party/Tribe. They
will persuade newcomers to quickly join the party. You will start to see bigger
crowds and a more engaging audience. They will look at you as friends and not
just a band that plays music that you enjoy. Those are the people who will
drive hours just to see you perform because they enjoy the experience so much.

Your job doesn’t end at the venue either. With social media
such as Facebook, twitter, instagram, youtube, etc. You need to continually
engage with your fanbase. Check all these social media sites on a regular basis
and if someone tags you in a post, you need to respond immediately. If you post
are where you are playing that night, you are dropping the ball. Your post
should include things like personal facts, funny post work great, anything that
brings a fan into your tribe. If you come off as too busy to get back in
sufficient time, they will be too busy to buy you CD or come to your show.
Every band member should have a twitter
and facebook account and interact with your fanbase constantly. Remember,
Record Labels are looking for bands with a large interactive fanbase and they
are paying attention to how you interact with your fans. Don’t drop the ball!